The mouth feels a little thin, don't get me wrong, a thick chewy sort of thin. This definately reminds me of an oat version of East Ends classic brew, Black Strap Stout. The mouth is chewy and does a swell job of mixing burnt cocoa, coffee, hops and the oats. I can see how some people have been referring to this as a Black IPA as it finishes with an almost IPA feel. Hops arrive late but control the finish making it feel like an BIPA. I just can't get over the thickness and smooth oatey characteristics to fully go to that side. This is an Oatmeal Stout in my opinion.

I've probably drank about two thirds of a growler, and I know I couldn't drink this all night. But for a desert beer amongst friends, this is a no brainer. Get it while you can!

More User Reviews:

i had bourbon barrel aged version on draft in snifter glass. nice head but not as dark as i expected. aroma of oak comes through at beginning, but is not overpowering. not sure what abv is but it is very drinkable. this was a really good beer that i will not likely see again. thanks dash @ bocktown

4.0 A: Black color. One and a half fingers of creamy light brown head with average retention and leaves a good amount of lacing.

5.0 S: Awesome nose! Coffee is strongest, then roasted barley, oats, and bittersweet chocolate. Hops are a plenty with a decent amount of citrus (though not overbearing like many hoppy dark beers), grass, and earth. I not sure whether this is a coffee stout or not, but it sure as hell seems like it since the coffee is so strong.

3.5 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation, but a bit bity. Could be creamier, but other than that it's just fine.

4.0 D: Really nice surprise offering from East End. This was listed as an oatmeal stout (black ipa) but it pretty much is just an oatmeal stout. It's hoppier than a lot of straight up stouts, but it isn't even close to black ipa hoppiness. Good roasty stout.

This one is a dark brown color. Aroma is malty, smokey, and slightly meaty. Flavor is smokey and semi sweet with light hoppy bitterness. Oatmeal like sweetness and roasted bitter malts. Faint coffee and even vanilla. Nice roast and bitterness of a good oatmeal stout. I would not consider this a black IPA.

Steelcut Oatmeal Stout/Black IPA has a dark brown body that is translucent at the edges. About a finger and a half of brown head has OK retention, but doesn't really leave any lacing behind.

The aroma features coffee and roasted malt most prominently, with citrus hops scents after that.

Bitter coffee flavors dominate the beginning of Steelcut, giving way to baker's chocolate and roasted malt. Citrus hops come out in the middle, with a bit of bitterness. The finish is made up of malt of a slightly sweeter variety, with a little bit of a hop bite.

The mouthfeel is hard to rate for this one, because I would expect more body from an Oatmeal stout, a style that is usually smooth and creamy. For a black IPA I would expect a little less body.

It's doubtful that I will get another growler of this beer or not, but mostly because there are so many beers I love and new things to try at East End at any given time.

Was told that this was just an oatmeal stout and not a black IPA. (It's a borderline black ale; whatever that means. Lol.) Though, this is a different batch. Not quite sure what precisely the deal is, but it is listed as a "hoppy oatmeal stout" on the east end page.

Always nice to come across an appropriately hearty oatmeal stout. And this is definitely one of those. Robust tones with a mildly burning oat tone that rests on the tongue for a very long while. Interesting almost berry tone on it. Smooth feel for sure. These are the kinds of beers I like to see out of East End, and the ones I want to see more of. Consistent and thorough. Keep 'em coming Scott.

A- Body is a dark brown nearly black hue. Some more translucent brown can be seen when held up to the light. Pours with a 1-2 finger tan head that eventually fades to a thin collar and little to no lacing is left behind in the glass.

S- The nose is quite interesting and contains a blend of citrus and roasted malt initially. The citrus fades pretty quickly and leaves impressions of coffee and vanila sweetness.

T- Initial flavor offers a slightly sweet coffee impression with roasted malt and vanilla, with a nice oatmeal backbone-but-there is a mild citrus hop flavor floating around in the initial flavor as well. The finish is moderate in strength and is pretty much all roasted malt. A mild roasted malt bitterness lingers.

M- Medium to high carbonation and a medium weight-slightly thin body-usually this isn't the case with an oatmeal stout.

D- This is a very strange beer to me as most IPA/dark beer hybrids have and aspect of pine or hop bitterness to them-but this only has what seems to be a random citrus accent in the middle of a coffee/oatmeal stout-and as with a lot of other east end dark beers-roasted malt is the highlight. Decent, unique brew overall.

Taste - Black ale? Thought this was a oatmeal stout. Malts, coffee and chocolate with a hop presense. Dark fruits like rasin and plum, even some berry in the flavor. Coffee is mild, smooth and mildly bitters the beer up. Plenty of sweetness with molasses and spices added.

Mouthfeel - Its thick, but pretty smooth and not too harsh on mouth. Tounge and palette get alot of malts, coffee and hops. Bittered palette but not overbearing. Aftertaste is smooth and chocolate sweet.

Overall - Very tasty, smooth and easy to enjoy. Its basically a oatmeal stout with a hop presence. I wouldnt call this a black ale or black ipa, just a oatmeal stout. Picked this up at the brewery so dont know if this is not going to be brewed again or not. Really enjoy this, glad i got a growler!